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Wayne State University Athletics

Mahmoud Elsayed Feature

Men's Fencing Keilyn Carpenter, WSU Sports Information Student Assistant

A Family Of Fencers

DETROIT -- Less than .02 percent of the world's population gets the opportunity to represent their country at the Olympic games.
 
Even less than that get to be on an Olympic team with their brother and be coached by their father.
 
The chance to represent your home country with your family at the peak of human sport is beyond rare, but men's fencing freshman Mahmoud Elsayed did exactly that in Paris this past summer.
 
The Warrior freshman grew up in Tanta, Gharbia, Egypt, and competed in the team epee competition for the Egyptian National Team at the Paris Olympics.
 
Mahmoud is the son of Elsayed Saleh, Egypt's Head Coach for the Epee.
 
The epee team was composed of four individuals - Mahmoud, Mohamed Yassin, Mahmoud Mohsen and Mohamed Elsayed, Mahmoud's older brother.
 
Mohamed is a three-time Olympian (2018 Youth Olympic Games in Argentina, 2020/21 Tokyo, and 2024 in Paris).  This past summer, he won the bronze medal in individual epee.  Beyond the Olympic games, Mohamed is a three-time World Champion and, in 2023, won an NCAA Championship.
 
The Elasyed brothers and their teammates finished eighth in the men's team epee competition in Paris.  While it was not the result they wanted, Mahmoud became an Olympian, a title he will hold forever.
 
 "It was amazing" and "I enjoyed every moment."
 
Those are two simple phrases from Elsayed, but few words are needed to describe your biggest dream becoming a reality.
 
Participating at the 2024 Olympics is the apex of Mahmoud's fencing journey thus far.  A journey that started at just four years old, and given the family he was born into, it's no surprise that he is an exceptional fencer.
 
"I think fencing is our entire life," Mahmoud said about his family's dynamic.
 
His father, older brother, and himself are not the only elite fencers in the family.
 
Mahmoud's oldest brother, Ahmed Elsayed is now the graduate assistant for the Wayne State fencing program after competing as a Warrior for six years.  During his time with the program, he competed in three NCAA Championships earning First Team All-American recognition in 2019.  In addition to his NCAA accolades, Ahmed won a bronze medal at the World Cup and is a six-time African Champion.
 
The youngest sibling in the family, Jana, is proving to be a great fencer as well.

It was never a matter of 'if' Mahmoud would develop into an esteemed fencer, it was a matter of 'when.'
 
It was his first season of competitive fencing when Mahmoud realized he had a promising future in the sport.
 
"My first competition was under 11, and I got three gold medals in the season.  This was the first sign that if I continued my hard work, I would reach a high level in fencing."
 
Competing at the Olympics has been Mahmoud's goal since he picked up the epee, and he was able to achieve this benchmark through hard work and the support of his family.
 
"I watched Mohamed and Ahmed achieve great results in the international competitions, and we train with each other, we support each other, we correct our mistakes together.  I knew I could be like them if I followed in their footsteps."
 
Mahmoud has the unique experience of seeing what it takes to be an exceptional fencer and uses that to his advantage.
 
Following in his brothers' footsteps has been about more than joining them at the top of the podium.  It has been about emulating their hard work, asking them questions, learning from their mistakes, taking their advice, and growing with them.
 
It was following in Ahmed's footsteps that brought Mahmoud to Detroit.
 
After completing high school, Mahmoud knew his best opportunity to continue to develop as a fencer and receive an education was to attend a university in the States like each of his brothers did.
 
He was not fixated on attending Wayne State, but when he had it narrowed down to here or Notre Dame, some persuasion from his older brother sealed the deal for the Green and Gold.
 
"He gave me a push to come here." 
 
Ahmed and Mahmoud are first and foremost, brothers.  Even so, the two have had to take on a coach-and-player dynamic.
 
As a little brother, Mahmoud appreciates that his big brother is near as he has moved away from his family and started a new chapter.
 
"It is very hard to leave my family, but Ahmed is here to help me."
 
As a fencer, Mahmoud respects and admires all Ahmed has been able to accomplish.
 
"Ahmed is a great fencer.  He earned great results on the Egyptian National Team and here at Wayne State.  He got the bronze medal at NCAAs as a freshman so I want to walk in his footsteps."
 
As a player, Mahmoud trusts his coach and appreciates the guidance of Ahmed.
 
"As a coach, he will develop me and correct my mistakes.  He has great experience as a fencer."
 
Balancing the relationship between big/little brother and coach/player is far from easy.  However, they each have experience balancing the relationships with their father who has been their coach their entire life.
 
"It is very hard because we want to separate between our home and fencing, but as my dad (and brother) are my coaches, we talk about fencing in the home, and sometimes there is no time to relax and get away from the sport."
 
While the Elsayed family shares a love for fencing, Mahmoud has established his own respect for the sport.  For the youngest brother, the combined mental and physical challenge of fencing is what he appreciates most. 
 
"It's like chess, but physical.  You need your brain and your body.  You have to analyze your opponent and find their weakness, so it's like physical chess for me."
 
Mahmoud has found abundant success in his craft, but the sport has also taught him great lessons.
 
"Patience, and balancing time between my studying and my training," are a few of the many lessons the freshman has gained.
 
Finding that balance has been crucial in his first few months of college as Mahmoud is splitting time between training, lifting, and studying finance.
 
Elsayed has found the transition to college from high school in Egypt to be smooth and straightforward.
 
"In Egypt, it is very hard to balance between fencing and your studies.  It is easier here, I have more time."
 
While the journey thus far has been rewarding, exciting and filled with highs, it is still just beginning.
 
As a freshman, Mahmoud has big goals for himself.  The ultimate being to compete in the individual and team epee competition for Egypt at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.  To make it to LA, Mahmoud has a plan filled with smaller objectives.
 
"In Paris, I fenced only in teams.  In LA, I want to fence in the individual and team competitions.  I think if I take it step by step this season, finish on the top of the Junior World Ranking, next season I will be in the Senior Division, but continue to take it step by step so I can reach my goal."
 
One of those goals includes qualifying for the NCAA Championships each of his four years of college.  If he is able to accomplish this, he will match the record of qualifying for NCAAs four times.  Slava Zingerman, Wayne State's former head coach, competed for the Warriors from 2006-10 and won three consecutive NCAA titles in the epee (2007-08-09) before being inducted into the WSU Hall of Fame in 2016.
 
The goals are meaningless without expectations and hard work.  Mahmoud understands that and he not only holds himself to a high standard but surrounds himself with people who expect a lot from him.
 
For example, his teammates at Wayne understand he is an Olympian and they hold him to a higher standard.
 
"All of my teammates are expecting to win NCAAs this season," and they are expecting Mahmoud to lead the way.
 
Elsayed understands he has experiences unlike his teammates, and he tries to use them to help the team.
 
"I talk to them when I see something I can help them improve or when I can share my experience with them, maybe inside the field or outside."
 
The most important goal for Mahmoud is to leave college knowing he gave it his all in the classroom and the gym.
 
"I want to say I gave it my all in my training and my studies, I shared my experience with my teammates and enjoyed every moment in four years."

 
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Players Mentioned

Ahmed Elsayed

Ahmed Elsayed

Epee
6' 3"
Graduate Student
Mahmoud Elsayed

Mahmoud Elsayed

Epee
6' 2"
Freshman

Players Mentioned

Ahmed Elsayed

Ahmed Elsayed

6' 3"
Graduate Student
Epee
Mahmoud Elsayed

Mahmoud Elsayed

6' 2"
Freshman
Epee